


Brand New Endings

by weethreequarter



Series: The Sunflower Verse [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Blow Jobs, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes as Captain America, Bucky Barnes is a little shit, Canon-Typical Violence, Clubbing, Consent is Sexy, Courtroom Drama, Depression, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Excessive Declarations of Love, Extortion, Hand Jobs, Human Disaster Clint Barton, Hurt/Comfort, Joseph Rogers is not a good person, Kidnapping, M/M, Manipulation, Marci Stahl is bad ass, Minor Assault, Modern Steve Rogers, Moving In Together, Nightmares, Paparazzi, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steve Rogers is Not Captain America, Steve Rogers is a little shit, Steve found three people he liked and stuck with them, Steve is ready to fight, background James "Bucky" Barnes/Matt Murdock, celebrity, legal stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:55:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weethreequarter/pseuds/weethreequarter
Summary: With the Maggia defeated, Steve and Tony are ready to build a future together. However, they’re unprepared for the press invasion, scheming estranged fathers, or Clint’s ability to find trouble at every turn.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: The Sunflower Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959097
Comments: 26
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to [pensivegrace](https://pensivegrace.tumblr.com) for cheering and betaing, and the general love for this verse. 
> 
> This fic is complete and will be updated every Sunday.

“Alright,” Steve called. “Does anyone have any questions?”

A sea of hands shot into the air and Steve resigned himself to the inevitable. 

“Yes, Evan?”

“Is it true that Iron Man bought you a penthouse on the Upper East Side?” they asked.

“Does anyone have any questions about the assignment and not my personal life?” Steve amended. 

The sea of hands disappeared. 

“Okay then, it’s due next Monday,” Steve continued. “If you have any questions about it, you know where to find me. If you have any questions about anything not relating to the fall of the Berlin Wall, keep them to yourselves.” 

The bell rang, announcing the start of the lunch hour, and the sounds of chair legs scraping on linoleum and chatter filled the classroom. Steve watched his students file out of the room. Most days he loved being a teacher, but every so often there were days when he regretted every decision that led him to this point.

This was one of those days.

In fact, this was one of those weeks. 

Ever since he’d returned from Singapore on Monday, he’d been followed by a wave of whispers from both students and staff alike as they all tried to wrap their heads around the fact that Mr Rogers who taught them history and social studies was also dating Tony Stark. Personally, Steve had hoped that the ten days between revealing their relationship and his return to work would be enough time for the news to sink in.

Apparently not. 

Grabbing his empty mug, he made his way along the corridors, ignoring the stares coming from any stragglers who hadn’t made it downstairs to the cafeteria yet. A place where Steve would not be revisiting for quite some time after he went down for lunch on Monday and a reverent hush fell over the room. It creeped him out enough that for once he didn’t hesitate to go grocery shopping on the way home from work, so he could avoid the cafeteria for the rest of the week.

Although grocery shopping was a trial in itself, with paparazzi hiding behind the stacks of toilet paper, waiting to see what he was buying or just in case he decided to start an affair with the bag boy at CTown. 

Ducking into the staffroom, Steve tried to ignore the feeling of eyes following him as he crossed the room to collect his box of leftovers from the fridge. 

“Hey Steve.”

He glanced up, finding Harry from economics leaning against the counter.

“Hi Harry,” Steve nodded. He popped the lid on the box before sticking it into the microwave. “How’s it going?”

“Not great,” Harry shrugged. “The AC’s fucked in my apartment again. And my super’s an asshole who takes weeks to fix anything. I’d pay for an engineer myself but I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Sounds rough.”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s not so bad right now because I’m at work and the kids have school, but once vacation starts it’s gonna suck with all five of us in there and no AC.”

Steve nodded and hummed, turning on the kettle and throwing a tea bag into his mug.

“Especially with Lilly’s asthma.”

“Asthma in the heat is no fun,” Steve agreed. He knew that from painful experience.

“Especially when they increased our health insurance premiums again. Must be nice not to have to worry about those kind of things.”

And that’s when it clicked in Steve’s brain what was happening here. This wasn’t just a friendly bitch between co-workers.

“Harry, you didn’t happen to read an article this morning about how Tony bought me a penthouse, did you?” Steve asked, pouring water into his mug. “Because it’s not true.”

“Oh no,” Harry shook his head. “No, of course not!”

“Right. Good,” Steve nodded suspiciously. “Because I still make the same salary you do. Just because my boyfriend is a billionaire, doesn’t mean I’m accepting handouts from him.”

“No, absolutely not!” Harry agreed slightly manically, his head bouncing up and down like a nodding dog. 

An awkward silence fell, broken only by the ping of the microwave, announcing that Steve’s pasta was done.

“Well, I’ll give you some peace,” Harry blurted out, disappearing from his side before Steve could say anything.

“Sure thing, Harry,” Steve murmured. He glanced around the room at the other staff members resolutely trying to pretend that they weren’t listening in. “Right,” he sighed.

Picking up his mug and his pasta, Steve left the staffroom and headed back towards his classroom, biting back a growl when he heard a small voice gasp, “That’s him!”

Kicking his classroom door closed behind him with possibly more force than was necessary, Steve stalked over the his desk, throwing himself down into his chair and stabbing his pasta angrily, like it was all its fault that the world had decided that because he had a famous boyfriend, he needed to be treated differently. 

Like dating Tony had somehow changed him. 

“There you are,” Angie’s voice rang out. Steve glowered at her. “Uh oh,” she sing-songed. “That’s a face. Who pissed in your pasta?”

“Ew, Ang.”

She shrugged, pulling a chair over to his desk and dropping down into it before unfolding the wrapper on her microwave burrito.

“So, what’s got your knickers in a twist?” she asked around a mouthful of burrito. 

“That’s disgusting,” Steve informed her. “And people.”

Angie swallowed. “What about people?”

“They’re the worst.”

“Well, duh. Except for me, because I’m fabulous.”

“You know, my ma used to say that self praise is no honour,” he teased. 

Angie stuck out her tongue and Steve chuckled, feeling the knot of anger and hurt in his chest loosen a little. 

“They’re all treating me differently,” he admitted. “Just because they know I’m dating Tony now. I’ve been dating him for a year and I didn’t change before. Did I?”

“I mean, you smiled more,” she shrugged. “And some of the weight from the aftermath of she-who-shall-not-be-named kinda disappeared, which was good.”

“Yeah?” Steve smiled.

“Yeah. Because if you kept scowling like that, you were gonna get wrinkles.”

Steve threw a piece of pasta at her, smirking when she shrieked and tried to throw a piece of lettuce back at him. The knot loosened some more and Steve said a silent _thank you_ that through the mess of his last relationship falling apart, it led to him gaining Angie as a roommate and a friend. He would almost say he would go through it all again if it meant he came out of it with her friendship at the end. 

“Are you coming to English’s tonight?” Angie asked, changing the subject and flicking one final piece of cucumber across the desk at him. “Or are you gonna go make out with your boyfriend instead?”

“No, I’m coming.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Tony’s in Norway dealing with Thor’s evil ex.”

“What even is your life?” Angie wondered.

“I have no idea,” Steve shook his head. 

🌻

“Hey, it’s us,” Angie called, letting herself into Peggy and Daniel’s house. 

Steve closed the door behind them, turning at the squeal of, “Unka Seeve!” accompanied by the rumble of tiny feet on hardwood floor. He grinned, crouching to receive Hannah’s hug.

“Hey you,” he greeted, swinging her up onto his hip and tweaking her nose. “At least somebody’s happy to see me.”

Hannah tugged on his shirt. “Iggles!” she demanded. “Iggles, Unka Seeve.”

“Oh, so it’s my phone you want, not me,” he realised. “You know what? The week I’ve had, I’ll take it.”

“Hannah, don’t you know you’re supposed to invite people in before stealing their phones?” Daniel teased, emerging from the kitchen.

“Iggles,” Hannah replied, as though it explained everything.

Daniel chuckled and shook his head, leaning in to kiss Angie’s cheek.

“She knows what she wants,” Steve shrugged, taking Angie’s place and accepting Daniel’s hug gratefully, breathing in the familiar smell of his cologne as he kissed his cheek. “How’s it going?”

“Spent the week in court,” Daniel replied, pulling a face. He winked at Steve. “I hate being surrounded by all those lawyers.”

“Oh yeah, lawyers are the worst,” Steve agreed, trying and failing to bite back a smirk.

“So you two don’t want dinner then?” Peggy called over her shoulder by the stove. “Looks like it’s just us girls then, Angie.”

“Sweet,” Angie declared, already helping herself to a glass of wine.

“Kebab, Steve?” Daniel asked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Steve agreed, pulling out a chair from the table with his foot and sitting down, Hannah in his lap. He fished his phone from his jeans, opening the YouTube app and finding the _The Wiggles_ playlist. Hannah plucked the phone from his hand, gazing at the brightly dressed presenters with wide-eyed fascination as if she hadn’t watched it a hundred times before, enough that the majority of the recommendations on Steve’s YouTube were toddler-related videos. 

“You know we’re kidding, right?” Daniel teased, sliding his arms around Peggy’s waist and kissing her neck.

“Ew, not in front of the baby,” Angie called.

“She’s not watching,” Steve pointed out.

“I meant me,” Angie smirked. “I’m the baby.”

“You’ve been spending too much time on the internet again.”

“What’s going on with you two?” Daniel asked, pouring Steve a glass of wine and joining them at the table, a beer in hand. 

“Steve’s grumpy,” Angie announced, scrolling through her phone.

“I’m not grumpy,” Steve argued. Off of Daniel’s look, he added, “If I am grumpy, it’s not my fault.”

“Whose fault is it?”

“Uh, the press? My co-workers. My students.”

“So the whole world then?” Peggy smirked. 

Steve flipped her off. 

“I thought they would’ve gotten over it by now,” he muttered. “So I’m dating Tony Stark. So what?”

“You do remember how I reacted, right?” Angie asked, arching an eyebrow over her phone. 

“Yes, you beat me up with a pillow. I remember.”

“I almost didn’t talk to you for a week,” Peggy added.

“Hey, that was on you,” Steve argued. “I told you that I was dating Tony. Not my fault you didn’t believe me.”

“Well, it kinda is,” Daniel shrugged. “If you weren’t such a huge troll, then we might’ve believed you earlier.”

“No, you wouldn’t have.”

“No, we wouldn’t,” Daniel agreed, taking a sip of his beer. “Come on, Steve. Tony is a billionaire superhero and you’re…”

“Boring,” Peggy finished.

“I’m not boring! I got kidnapped by a supervillain just two months ago!” Steve objected. 

“That’s not something to brag about,” Daniel frowned. 

“I don’t mean boring as in _boring_ ,” Peggy continued. “I just mean that you’re ordinary compared to Tony. And that’s exciting for them. Especially considering he’s a self-professed playboy.”

“You come out on top in this ranking of Tony’s past relationships,” Angie added, without looking up from her phone.

“Ooh, let me see,” Daniel said, shuffling closer. 

Steve tried not to frown, but he’d been hoping to avoid the stories the paparazzi were pedalling about him for the night and looking forward to embracing his old life with his old friends for company. And now Daniel and Angie were cooing over one of the very articles he wanted to avoid. 

He bit back a sigh, burying his nose into Hannah’s soft brown curls. 

He jumped when a hand wrapped around his shoulder, looking up to find Peggy at his side.

“It’s not personal, you know,” she murmured. She nodded towards Daniel and Angie. “Those stories. They’re not personal.”

“Feels pretty personal,” he grumbled.

“They’re writing about you because it sells. That’s it,” Peggy pointed out. “If it didn’t sell, they wouldn’t care. It’s not personal. Next week they’ll be hanging a woman out to dry for something a man would be lauded for and you’ll be forgotten.”

“Can’t come soon enough,” Steve sighed. 

“It gives me a new respect for Tony,” she added.

Steve frowned.

“Steve, if he hadn’t kept you out of the media for almost a year and this had happened when you first started dating? You would’ve run for the hills and lost the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” God, he loved Tony. And how Tony seemed to instinctively know what Steve needed without asking or making a fuss about it. Because the only thing he would’ve hated more than the paparazzi attention in the early days of their relationship was feeling like Tony was coddling him. 

“Now, in the meantime,” she continued, “Perhaps you could stop glaring quite so hard. If the wind changes direction you’ll be stuck like that, you know.”

Steve smiled. “Better?”

“Much.” She leaned down and smacked a kiss against his cheek. 

Steve watched her return to the stove, then called, “Do you need a hand?”

Three sets of eyes snapped towards him, all three of them wearing matching expressions of horror.

“Why would you even suggest that?” Daniel exclaimed. “I still have nightmares about the time you gave me food poisoning.”

“We don’t talk about that,” Angie added. “Like we don’t let Steve in the kitchen.”

“Hey,” he frowned. “I’m getting better! Tony’s been teaching me.”

“Darling, I think your talents are best left out of the kitchen,” Peggy replied diplomatically. 

Steve sighed. “Anyone would think you three don’t trust me.”

“Not in the kitchen, we don’t,” Angie replied. 

“At least you still love me,” Steve murmured, kissing the crown of Hannah’s head, which earned him a scowl from the toddler, who clutched his phone even tighter just in case he was considering taking it away from her. “Or you love my phone at least.”

Evie Rose raced into the room in a rumble of feet and flying limbs, skidding to a stop and dramatically throwing herself into the empty chair next to Steve.

“Hey, kid,” he greeted. 

“Hi,” she sighed, draping herself across the table.

“You okay there?” Steve asked, biting back his amusement.

“Zoey’s being _boring_ ,” Evie Rose declared. “She’s doing her _homework _.”__

“Speaking of homework, don’t you have some to finish?” Peggy asked.

“It’s done,” Evie Rose replied, sitting up. 

“Really?”

Steve watched the face off between mother and daughter with amusement; Peggy eyed Evie Rose suspiciously, while Evie Rose blinked with wide-eyed innocence that meant she was up to something. 

“Okay,” Peggy said eventually, apparently deciding to take Evie Rose at her word.

Steve raised his eyebrows at his niece. She pressed a finger to her lips, silently shushing him, and he swallowed his laughter. 

“ _Hot for teacher: Steve Rogers’ top ten hottest looks_ ,” Angie read from her phone.

“Do I want to know what they picked as number one?” Steve grimaced.

“It’s not bad,” Daniel insisted. “I think it might be from my Instagram, actually.”

Angie held up her phone and Steve saw a photo of himself sitting on the dock by the lake in swim shorts and a pair of sunglasses, grinning up at whoever was behind the camera, a bottle of beer in hand.

“It is a good picture,” he admitted.

“I mean, they don’t have a lot to work with considering your Insta’s private and Tony kept you off of his until now,” Angie added.

“And you definitely look hot,” Daniel added.

“What’s going on?” Evie Rose frowned. 

“We’re reading the articles about Uncle Steve,” Angie informed her.

“Are you famous?”

“I guess I am,” Steve realised. 

“Why?”

“Because Tony’s my boyfriend.”

Evie Rose scowled at him dubiously. “You’re famous for that? That’s silly. You should be famous for, like, saving someone’s life. Or, or doing something special. Or being in a movie. Not because you’re dating Tony.”

“Tony is a superhero,” Steve reminded her. 

“But you’re not.”

“Thanks, kid,” Steve sighed, wondering if this was the same girl who, not a year ago, spent the entire afternoon bigging him up to Tony. 

Apparently the shine had worn off.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take a year for the press to lose interest in them.

🌻

Admitting defeat and accepting that he wasn’t getting to sleep any time soon, Steve rolled over and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, managing to jam them on without poking himself in the eye. Picking up his phone, he squinted against the bright light in the darkness of his bedroom until his eyes adjusted. Then, opening Google, he typed in _steve rogers_ to the search bar and braced himself for the results. 

Below his Twitter and Instagram accounts, the headlines started. 

_Who is Steve Rogers, Tony Stark’s new boyfriend?_

_Tony Stark just went Instagram official with his new boyfriend, Steve Rogers_

_A new love story? Four things to know about Tony Stark’s new boyfriend Steve Rogers_

_Tony Stark shares poolside selfie with new boyfriend, Steve Rogers_

“Jesus,” Steve breathed. How was this his life? He was just a kid from Brooklyn and suddenly _People_ and _Us Weekly_ were writing about him and filling in the gaps where they couldn’t find the information they wanted. 

Tony 🌻  
  
**Today** 00:13 AM  
**Steve:** Did you know that Cosmo thinks we beat Matt and Bucky in a cutest couple contest?  
  
**Tony:** No  
  
**Tony:** That’s not a thing  
  
**Steve:** **Stony vs. Batt: which Avengers couple is the cutest?** https://www.cosmopolitan.com/ent…  
  
**Steve:** We won btw  
  
**Tony:** NO YOU FUCKING DID NOT  
  
**Tony:** Sorry, Barnes stole my phone. He’s being magnanimous in defeat as you can see.  
  
**Steve:** Clearly  
  
**Steve:** Are you on your way home?  
  
**Tony:** Yeah, we left about five minutes ago. Should be home at stupid o’clock in the morning.  
  
**Steve:** I miss you  
  
**Tony:** Miss you too honey  
  
**Steve:** Wish you were here  
  
**Tony:** Yeah, me too  
  
**Steve:** I guess sexting is out of the question?  
  
**Tony:** Afraid so. We have a no sexting on the quinjet rule.  
  
**Steve:**....that is not a real rule  
  
**Steve:** Is it?  
  
**Tony:** It is  
  
**Steve:** I’m almost afraid to ask why  
  
**Tony:** Bucky has no shame  
  
**Steve:** Well, we all know that. We’ve all seen the youtube clips from the Ingram Angle  
  
**Tony:** Don’t remind me. I’m still having flashbacks. Being kissed by Captain America on live TV is not as fun as it sounds.  
  


  
  


Steve smiled, rolling onto his side and tucking one arm under his head. 

Tony 🌻  
  
**Steve:** It’s really hot to watch though  
  
**Tony:** Do not go down that road Steve, it is not happening.  
  
**Steve:** Giving you nightmares?  
  
**Tony:** I have a heart condition. Behave.  
  
**Steve:** Sorry 😘  
  
**Tony:** Shouldn’t you be asleep?  
  
**Steve:** Couldn’t sleep  
  
**Tony:** You okay?  
  
**Steve:** Yeah  
  


Steve tapped his finger against his phone, twisting his mouth to the side. Then with a sigh, he began to type.

Tony 🌻  
  
**Steve:** The press attention is a bit much  
  
**Steve:** I mean I’ll live  
  
**Steve:** But it’s not fun  
  
**Steve:** Especially when my co-workers believe everything they write and start asking me for money or whatever  
  
**Steve:** I’m still me  
  
**Steve:** But they treat me differently  
  
**Tony:** I’m sorry Steve  
  
**Steve:** Not your fault  
  
**Tony:** It kinda is  
  
**Steve:** Yeah, but I know if you could avoid it you would. You kept them away from me for all this time and that’s amazing  
  
**Tony:** It wasn’t easy. I want to brag about my amazing, sexy boyfriend.  
  
**Steve:** Oh what a coincidence, I also have an amazing, sexy boyfriend  
  
**Tony:** I told you, no sexting on the quinjet  
  
**Steve:** I’m not on the quinjet  
  
**Tony:** You are going to be the death of me  
  
**Steve:** Okay, I’m going to sleep now. I love you x  
  
**Tony:** I love you too x  
  
**Tony:** Sleep well x  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Tony woke with his face in Bucky’s neck and Bucky’s head propped up on his own, snoring quietly. Letting out a quiet groan, he glanced around the quinjet, instinctively seeking out the rest of his team. Natasha was in the pilot’s seat and Bruce was curled up in a ball where he’d been when Tony fell asleep. There was Thor, looking none the worse for wear despite the fact they’d been fighting his evil ex-girlfriend in Norway for the past three days, trying to avoid getting hit by one of her enchantments. And directly opposite Tony and Bucky was Clint, his elbows on his knees and hands clasped, his head hung low.

“Hey Last of the Mohicans?” Tony called quietly, his voice hoarse. Clint raised his head, his forehead creased in a frown. “You okay?” Tony asked. “She didn’t get you, did she?”

“I’m fine,” Clint replied.

Tony frowned. 

That response was uncharacteristically short for Clint Barton. 

“You sure?”

“I’m fine,” Clint snapped.

“Alright,” Tony murmured, turning his face back into Bucky’s neck and taking advantage of the fact that Bucky always ran hot. 

He dozed like that until Natasha announced that they were coming in to the Tower. Tony sat up with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head with a low whine in the back of his throat. Sitting back with a sigh, he nudged Bucky, snickering when he jerked awake with a snort and blinked blearily at Tony.

“We’re about to land,” Tony informed him.

“Oh. Awesome,” Bucky yawned. “What time is it?”

“Fuck knows,” Tony sighed. “Early.”

“Too early to go to Midtown to have sex with my boyfriend?”

“Probably,” Tony murmured, closing his eyes as the familiar hum of the landing gear filled the jet. “Or too late. One of the two.”

“Damn.”

Tony hummed in agreement or commiseration; he wasn’t quite sure himself. 

Natasha brought the quinjet down onto the landing pad smoothly, the wheels touching the ground with nary a jolt. Reluctantly, Tony opened his eyes and allowed Bucky to haul him to his feet. He stretched out the kinks in his spine, watching Bucky swing the shield onto his back before leading the way off of the jet.

Tony squinted at Thor as he made his way towards the ramp. “Your ex-god-friend threw you around like you were frisbee and you’re walking around like it’s nothing. How?”

“That was nothing,” Thor grinned. “Amora did worse when we were together. Many times.”

“Okay,” Tony grimaced. “That’s more than I ever needed to know about Thor’s sex life,” he said to Clint.

But instead of the joke or sarcastic comment he expected, Clint merely grunted and shuffled off of the jet after Thor and Bruce. 

“Was it something I said?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but the answer is usually yes,” Natasha teased, brushing past him to exit the jet.

“Hey!” Tony objected. “I mean, you’re not wrong. But still.”

Natasha smirked at him over her shoulder. Tony dragged himself off of the quinjet and followed the rest of the team inside with another yawn. He could feel his bed calling to him.

“Are we doing debrief now or can it wait until we’re all at least semiconscious?” he asked as the rest of the team divested themselves of their weapons and armour. 

“Amora kicked our asses, so we kicked her ass, we sent her back to Asgard, and Thor’s taste in women will forever be under question,” Bucky declared. “Anything else? Nope? Debrief over.”

“Works for me,” Tony shrugged. 

“Me too,” Bruce agreed.

“Me three,” Natasha added. 

“Barton? What do you think?” Tony asked.

Clint shrugged.

“Well, aren’t you a little ray of sunshine?”

“Shut up, Tony,” Clint muttered, trudging out of the room.

Tony raised his eyebrows. Fighting with Thor’s overdramatic ex was enough to make anyone grumpy, but even so. Clint’s attitude was unexpected.

“Is he okay?” he asked Natasha.

“He probably has a concussion again,” she shrugged. “Are you really worrying about Clint Barton? The man who falls off of skyscrapers and only needs a band aid?”

“You’re right. What am I thinking? Must be the exhaustion. And with that I bid you all goodnight. Or good morning. Whatever time it is.”

But then Tony spotted Bucky snoring against his locker and rolled his eyes, crossing the changing room and shaking him awake. He heaved Bucky over his shoulder. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Bedtime. If you’re lucky, your boy toy will kiss you awake in the morning. Afternoon. Whenever.”

After pouring Bucky into bed in his own apartment, Tony made his way up to the penthouse, kicking off his shoes and falling face first into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

🌻

When Tony woke, he discovered that it was late morning, giving him some indication of what time they’d arrived back. He rolled onto his back with a yawn, his nose wrinkling when he realised he’d fallen asleep in the clothes he’d been wearing under the suit for three days.

“That’s gross,” he muttered. 

He fished for his phone, finding it under the pillow on the other side of the bed and scrolling through his new notifications. First on his list to check was his chat with Steve, because Steve was always at the forefront of his mind. 

Dorito ❤️🗽  
  
**Today** 07:58 AM  
**Steve:** Morning, hope you got back okay last night. Miss you and love you. See you tonight after work 😘💖  
  
**Today** 11:42 AM  
**Tony:** Hey, we got back at around five am, all in one piece. Just woke up and heading down to the lab. I’ll probably be down there all day so come straight up when you get here. Love you too xx  
  


Putting his phone aside, Tony rolled out of bed with a groan and padded through to the bathroom where he stripped out of his clothes for a much needed shower. 

One hot shower and a plate of eggs Benedict later, he felt much more alive. Tony headed downstairs to the lab, coffee in hand, looking forward to a day of just being Tony Stark, inventor, rather than Tony Stark, superhero. Being Iron Man had its good points of course, but sometimes it was fun just to mess around in the lab for a day, coming up with all sorts of mad ideas to throw at his minions in R&D so he could watch their heads explode. 

A few hours later, Tony heard the doors open and close and felt someone watching him. It was too early for Steve to be here, so it was probably Bruce. It definitely wasn’t Bucky, because Bucky Barnes was physically incapable of being silent unless his life depended on it. Only, whoever it was was just staring at him. Turning away from the design he was working on, Tony glanced over his shoulder and found a stranger staring at him with wide eyes.

“Hi,” Tony called.

“Hi.”

The chances of someone managing to bypass the security systems and JARVIS and making it all the way to the lab unnoticed were very slim and from the slightly manic and definitely terrified look on this guy’s face, Tony doubted he was in any danger. 

But still.

“Can I help you? Maybe, uh, breathe, kid. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’m good.”

“Uh huh. Mind telling me who the hell you are?”

“Um, I’m Ari. I’m your new PA.”

“Ari,” Tony echoed. “Okay, Ari. Hold that thought.” 

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Tony scrolled through his contacts and hit call on Pepper’s cell phone, flashing Ari a smile as he lifted the phone to his ear.

“Yes, Tony?” Pepper’s voice said in his ear.

“Do I have a new PA?” he asked.

“Yes,” Pepper replied.

“Did I hire him?”

“No, I did.”

“Oh, good. I was starting to worry about my memory for a second there. Uh, why did you hire me a new PA?”

“Because you need one. I’m CEO now, Tony. I can’t be running around after you all the time.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.” 

“While I have you,” Pepper continued. “I need you to clear December 1st. Stark Industries is organising a Meet the Heroes event for our potential investors so I need all of the Avengers on their best behaviour.”

“I can clear the calendar but I can’t guarantee best behaviour. You have met the rest of my team, right?”

“Tell them if they’re not on their best behaviour they’ll have me to deal with. I mean it, Tony. If we’re going to expand, we need these investors. Especially Fujikawa. I need you there.”

“You know if there’s an assemble, we’ll have to answer it.”

“Then tell the supervillain community that they’ll also have to deal with me if they ruin this. I’ve been working on these investors for months, Tony. And I will continue to work on them until December. So mark the calendar and be there.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tony nodded. “On it.”

“Okay, I have a conference call in five minutes, so I have to go. Thanks Tony.”

“Bye Pep.”

Hanging up, he turned back to Ari, who was still clutching the files and StarkPad in his arms and staring at Tony with wide eyes. 

“Okay. Ari. Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Relax,” Tony smiled. “I don’t bite. Unless you’re Steve, which you’re not. So. Anyway, first order of business, Pepper is organising a Meet the Heroes event for SI on December 1st. Can you put that in my calendar and make sure the day stays clear? Coordinate with the rest of the Avengers and make sure they keep the day clear too, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Ari nodded.

“You don’t need to call me sir,” Tony grimaced. “Uh, hang on a second. Give me… one minute…”

He eyed the tables around the lab critically, before choosing one in the corner overlooking the communal area below. Quickly clearing it of the junk he and Bruce had abandoned there, Tony beckoned Ari over.

“Okay, this is your desk now,” he explained, grabbing a chair.

“Oh, I have a desk downstairs.”

“Yes, but I spend most of my time in here so you need a desk here too,” Tony nodded. “I work here so this is the place you need to be. Keep the other desk for all the stuff you want to ignore.”

“Um, what if I touch something and break it?” Ari winced. 

“You’ll be fine. We keep the really explosive things downstairs. Kidding,” he added at Ari’s look of alarm. “You need to relax, kid. Seriously. If you need anything, I’m going to be over there doing mad science. Set this desk up however you want it. You need a laptop or whatever, requisition it and I’ll approve it, okay?”

“Uh, okay Mr Stark.”

“We’ll stick with Mr Stark for now, but how about we try to work up to Tony, huh?”

From Ari’s look of terror, Tony guessed it would be a long time before he would be able to call him by name. Leaving the kid to it, he returned to his designs, losing himself in the familiar ones and zeros of the code.

The next time he heard the door open, it was followed by Steve’s voice calling, “Hey.”

Sitting up with a smile, Tony turned to receive Steve’s kiss. “Hi.”

“Who’s your friend?” Steve frowned, nodding at Ari.

“Oh, that’s Ari. My new PA. Ari, say hi to Steve,” Tony called.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” Steve replied. “You hungry?” he asked Tony.

“Yes. I’m thinking Greek, does that work for you?”

“Sounds great.”

“Awesome. Hey Ari?”

“Yes, Mr Stark?”

“Let’s call it a night. Go home. Do… whatever you do and I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. Good night.”

“Bye Ari,” Steve waved. 

They made their way downstairs to the elevator. Tony leaned against the back wall, tugging Steve close and sliding his arm around his waist. Steve went willingly, leaning against Tony and rubbing circles into his chest through his shirt. 

“Hi,” Tony whispered.

“Hey,” Steve murmured, then leaned down to kiss him.

Tony closed his eyes, feeling his breath catch as their lips touched. Kissing Steve felt like nothing else in the world, except maybe flying. They both left him feeling light-headed and weightless and completely breathless.

Tony smiled. 

He pulled away reluctantly when the elevator _dinged_ , announcing their arrival at the penthouse. Crossing the apartment to the kitchen, Tony pulled out the menu for his favourite Greek place and handed it to Steve, pressing a kiss into his hair. 

“Don’t you need to look?”

Tony shook his head. “I already know what I’m having. Their moussaka is to die for.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Steve replied, handing back the menu.

“JARVIS, you got that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So,” Tony said, climbing onto one of the high stools and turning towards Steve. “How are you feeling about the trial?”

“Uh, okay,” he shrugged. “Peg’s been coaching me on the questions and making sure I’ve got all my dates and stuff. The DA called again yesterday to check up on me.”

“Yeah, she called me and Barnes too,” Tony nodded. 

“I’ll be glad when it’s over,” Steve confessed. “I gotta admit, I’m not… uh, thrilled with the idea of facing my kidnapper again. You know, in the moment, I think I was running on so much adrenaline that I didn’t have time to be scared or really think about the fact that he’d kidnapped me. But then we came home and the adrenaline wore off and…” He shrugged. “I realised how close we were to everything going very differently.”

Tony reached out, cupping the back of Steve’s neck and leaning forward to press his lips to his temple. That realisation was something that had haunted his dreams for the past two months. 

“Sir, dinner has arrived in the lobby,” JARVIS announced, breaking the silence. 

“Thanks, J,” Tony replied, sitting back. He ran his hand through Steve’s hair, smiling at the way it was sticking up. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll get cutlery,” Steve nodded. 

“Teamwork,” Tony smiled. 

“We make a good team,” Steve agreed.

Tony leaned down and kissed him one more time. “We do. Okay, food. Be right back.”

“I will be counting the seconds,” Steve deadpanned. 

Tony laughed, glancing over his shoulder as he walked towards the elevator. And he thought to himself that Steve looked like he belonged in Tony’s kitchen.

_Now there’s an idea._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SLIGHTLY SPOILERY WARNINGS: anxiety and references to the events of Wildfire

“Mr Rogers, do you have any plans for the summer?” Naomi asked. 

Steve glanced up at the sea of tiny freshmen - oh God, in a few months they would be sophomores - faces staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. Except they all looked too innocent for any good. 

“Yeah,” he replied, keeping his face impassive. “Lots of plans. So many that I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe we can help you figure out?” Julius suggested.

Steve glanced at the clock; six minutes left to the end of class and the end of not only the day, but the school year. Just enough time to troll his students. 

“Well,” he began. “I think the most important thing is figuring out how many pop quizzes I’m going to give my sophomores next year. And second, I need to finish the test for the first day back to see how many students completed the summer reading.” Steve smiled serenely, taking in the dismayed expressions of his students with no small amount of satisfaction.

_Gotcha._

The bell rang, shattering the shocked silence.

“Alright, get outta here,” Steve told them. “Enjoy your vacation. Oh. And, I’m kidding about the test.”

The students let out a sigh of relief and began filing out of the room, some waving and wishing him a good holiday while the rest eyed him with suspicion just in case he was bluffing about the test. 

Once the sounds of the students in the hall faded, Steve began gathering up everything he would need over the summer, shovelling it all into his backpack to sort out at a later date with the gifts he’d relieved from a couple of students. He powered down his computer, then swept his eyes over the classroom one last time. Satisfied that he had everything, he left the room, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder.

“Hey Steve,” Sandy called, coming out of his classroom down the hall.

“Hi Sandy,” Steve replied. “Enjoy your vacation.”

“Oh, I intend to,” Sandy chuckled. “Three weeks in Florida sounds great right about now, even if it does mean putting up with my father-in-law. What about you? Heading off somewhere exotic?”

His tone was the same tone Naomi used not twenty minutes earlier; innocent and finagling, looking for information while trying to pretend otherwise. Steve was tired of that tone. No one ever asked him how he was doing out of concern for his well-being anymore. No one asked him anything anymore, unless they were trying to get information on his relationship or Tony or the Avengers. 

“No,” he snapped. “I’m going to DC to testify against my kidnapper and hope that our corrupt justice system doesn’t set him free again.”

He raised an eyebrow, staring Sandy down and watched as he shrank under Steve’s glare. 

“Well, uh, see you in September,” he muttered before dashing down the stairs.

Steve shook his head. 

“You look miserable,” a familiar voice called as he descended the stairs. “Don’t you know it’s the end of term? No more students until September. And even better: no parents.”

Steve’s mouth twitched upwards. Angie fell in step with him, swinging her bag in one hand as they made their way downstairs.

“People continue to be the worst,” he explained.

“Well, duh,” she agreed. “Hey, guess what? Remember those cookies I got from one of my juniors at Christmas?”

“Yeah?”

“I got more,” she sing-songed. 

“Seriously? Not fair,” Steve sighed. “All I got was another of Mrs Hartley’s fruit cakes.”

“Isn’t the last one still in our apartment?”

“No, I gave it to our neighbour. He needed a doorstop.”

“Yikes.” Angie shuddered, holding the front door open for him. “Your boy’s here.”

Steve smiled automatically at the sight of the Audi R8 with the number plate STARK 1 sitting by the curbside, Tony’s outline just visible through the passenger window. They made their way down the steps and Steve could feel the eyes of staff and students alike on him. 

“Hey,” he said, opening the passenger door and climbing inside. He leaned over the console to kiss Tony.

“Hey you,” Tony replied. “Hi Angie.”

“Mr Stark,” Angie smirked. “Good luck in DC, you two.”

“Thanks,” Steve smiled.

“Oh, and hey.” Angie rummaged in her bag before emerging with two cookies. “Here. For the road.”

“You’re the best,” Steve told her, passing a cookie to Tony before shoving the other in his mouth whole. “These cookies are still amazing,” he mumbled around the biscuit.

“And you’re disgusting,” Angie retorted.

She stepped back, closing the passenger door and waving as Tony revved the engine and pulled away from the curb. 

“How far is it to DC?” Tony asked, turning onto the freeway.

“About… two hundred miles?” Steve guessed. 

Tony nodded then floored the accelerator so quickly that Steve was pushed back into his seat. He laughed, shaking his head.

“You’re ridiculous,” he informed Tony.

“You love me.”

“Always.”

🌻

Steve rolled over in bed, caught in that place between sleep and wakefulness thanks to the knowledge that he was in a strange bed. He reached out blindly for Tony but instead of his boyfriend, his hand met warm but empty sheets.

Steve frowned.

He opened his eyes, blinking in the darkness. He spotted the outline of Tony sitting up in bed, his head hanging forward.

“Tony?” Steve called, his voice rasping with sleep. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Tony replied, but he sounded strange. “Go back to sleep, honey.”

Steve ignored him. He sat up, shuffling closer until he could slide his arms around Tony’s waist and hook his chin over his shoulder.

“You’re shaking.”

“Just a bad dream,” Tony shook his head, twisting his hands together. He forced a laugh and knocked on his forehead. “There’s a screw loose in there somewhere.”

Steve leaned forward, kissing the spot that Tony’s fist touched. 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Tony exhaled loudly. “Not particularly but ignoring it doesn’t seem to be working,” he admitted wetly.

Steve readjusted his arms, tightening his hold, and buried his face in Tony’s neck to breathe in the familiar smell of his cologne and the undertone of coconut that Tony always seemed to have. He felt Tony rest his cheek against the top of his head.

“You’re not the only one… not looking forward to seeing Nefaria again,” Tony admitted. “I was back there, at the party and the bomb went off and you were gone. And then it was Afghanistan and I was being blown up again, only it wasn’t Yinsen in that cave, it was you and- And then there was that damn wormhole and you weren’t picking up.”

“Tony,” Steve whispered, kissing his neck. “I’m here. I’m right here.”

Tony’s hand covered Steve’s own.

“I know.”

Steve raised his head. “And I’ll keep telling you that for as long as it takes for your brain to listen.”

Tony let out a wet laugh. “That might take a while.”

“I’ve got time.”

Tony squeezed his hand.

“Come on, lie down,” Steve urged. “You won’t get anymore sleep like this.”

“I don’t think I’m going to fall asleep again, after that,” Tony huffed.

“Still, just lie down,” Steve coaxed.

Tony sighed but he let Steve pull him backwards until he was lying on his back. Steve shuffled closer, resting his head on Tony’s chest and splaying his hand over his heart. He felt Tony’s fingers card through his hair and Steve closed his eyes, hoping his presence would help lure Tony back to sleep.

When Steve woke again, Tony was drawing circles on his back with his fingers. As soon as he looked at Tony’s face, Steve knew that he hadn’t managed to get any more sleep and his heart sank.

“Morning,” Steve whispered, leaning up to kiss him.

“Morning,” Tony echoed.

Steve let Tony draw him in for another kiss, this one turning deeper, and Tony’s hands began to wander over Steve’s body. He shivered, breaking the kiss reluctantly and pressing their foreheads together. 

“If we don’t get out of bed, we’re going to be late,” he pointed out, but even he could hear how wistful he sounded. 

“Yeah, I know,” Tony sighed. “I’d still rather stay here with you.”

“You and me both,” Steve smiled. He stole another kiss. “Go shower, I’ll go after you.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, you have a longer moisturising routine than me,” Steve teased.

“This kind of perfection doesn’t just happen overnight,” Tony retorted haughtily, climbing out of bed.

“I don’t know,” Steve mused, pushing himself up onto one elbow and letting his eyes rake over Tony’s back and, more importantly, his ass. “Looks pretty perfect from where I’m at.”

Tony turned to mock-glower at him. “I’m sorry, I thought you didn’t want to be late.”

Steve grinned then flopped back onto the mattress, stealing a few more minutes in bed before climbing to his feet with a groan. 

Tony was standing in front of the mirror, a tub of concealer in hand, when Steve let himself into the bathroom.

“Here,” Steve said, taking the concealer from him and opening it up. “Let me.”

“I know I’m being stupid and vain,” Tony muttered, looking up so Steve could apply the make-up over the dark circles beneath his eyes. 

“I don’t think you’re being stupid or vain,” Steve replied. “Peggy always tells me that court is a power play. No one can afford to show weakness unless they want it to be picked apart. Besides, if it makes you feel good, wear whatever you want.”

Tony’s mouth curved up into a soft smile. Steve felt him relax a little beneath his hands and squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. 

“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?” Tony murmured. 

Steve smiled, then leaned in and kissed him.

“All done,” he announced.

“Thanks, honey.”

“There’s coffee in the kitchen.”

“I love you,” Tony declared. Then he leaned up to kiss Steve’s cheek before leaving the bathroom. 

Steve watched him go then took a deep breath, his own nerves starting to make an appearance as the clock ticked closer to the start of the trial. He wondered if it was too late to drag Tony back to bed or to jet off to somewhere exotic like everyone expected him to be during the holidays. 

Steve shook his head.

“Come on, Rogers,” he muttered, flicking on the shower before stripping out of his pyjama pants. “You can do this.”

🌻

Steve laced his fingers with Tony’s in the car ride from the apartment to the courthouse. They sat in silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts, but Tony’s thumb ran back and forth along the edge of Steve’s hand. It was soothing, giving Steve something to focus on to avoid getting lost in his head.

The car came to a smooth stop outside the courthouse and instantly the waiting reporters swarmed. Their driver fought his way through and opened the door. Tony slid out of the car first, sunglasses firmly in place, then Steve followed. 

He realised again how lucky he was that Tony managed to keep their relationship out of the spotlight for so long, because Steve definitely couldn’t have dealt with this in the early days. He wasn’t sure he could cope with it now, but he managed to grit his teeth and cling on to Tony’s hand to get through.

Tony pushed his way through the reporters, charming smile firmly in place and throwing a few waves to the cameras and the members of the public who’d turned out just to get a glimpse of them.

“Mr Stark, Mr Stark, over here! This way!”

“Mr Rogers! Mr Rogers!”

“Hey Steve! Steve, this way.”

Steve fought the instinctive response to turn towards whoever was calling his name. It was made easier by the fact that he wasn’t sure who, exactly, was shouting for him. 

“Mr Stark, what are your thoughts on the upcoming trial?”

“Mr Rogers! Mr Rogers, how do you think the jury will find Luchino Nefaria?”

“No comment,” Steve replied.

A microphone was shoved into his face. 

“Mr Rogers, you were there on the _Guiletta_ that night, tell us what happened?”

“No comment,” Steve repeated through gritted teeth, biting back his initial response of _Get that fucking thing out of my face._

They reached the steps and the reporters tripped over them and each other, trying to get them to say something, anything about Nefaria or the case. But Tony just kept grinning and waving, and Steve clamped his mouth shut to avoid saying something he would regret and kept his head low. 

Finally they made it to the doors of the courthouse and they stepped into the cool marble of the atrium, the shouts of the reporters, relegated to wait outside, echoing behind them. Only then did Steve feel like he could breathe again. He unclenched his jaw, letting the tension bleed out. 

“You okay?” Tony asked quietly.

“Better now,” Steve nodded.

Tony smiled.

They unloaded their pockets into a plastic tray to go through security then stepped from the metal detector one at a time. Recollecting their belongings, they made their way down to the courtroom, their footsteps echoing along the hall. 

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Tony called. 

Steve followed his gaze along the corridor and smiled when he spotted Bucky waiting outside the courtroom, a frown on his face as he tugged at his collar. 

“Hey Buck.”

“Steve, Tony,” Bucky nodded. “God, I hate these monkey suits. Reminds me of when I was in the USO. How are you two doing?”

“Fine,” Tony replied with a wan smile. 

Before Steve could call him out on it, Bucky levelled Tony with a glare and said, “Bullshit. Wanna try that again?”

Tony let out a tired chuckle. “Fine. I didn’t sleep great.”

“And you?” Bucky turned to Steve.

“I’ll be better when he’s behind bars permanently,” Steve shrugged. 

“Ain’t that the truth.”

The doors to the courtroom opened and they filed in, claiming seats in the second row on the prosecutor’s side of the courtroom. Pretty soon the gallery was full. Everyone wanted a glimpse of the man who had tried to take down the Avengers.

They all stood as instructed when the judge entered the courtroom, then Steve tightened his grip of Tony’s hand as the judge called for the defendant to be brought in. The doors opened and Luchino Nefaria was guided to the stand, somehow managing to look defiantly charming even in a prison jumpsuit and chains. His gaze swept across the gallery, his eyes lingering on Steve.

Steve tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly dry as dust. Nefaria’s mouth curled up into a smirk and Steve could see him standing over him on the _Guiletta_. He could feel the phantom weight of the cuffs on his wrists.

“Bastard,” Bucky muttered.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, squeezing Steve’s knee with his free hand. 

“Ms Walters,” the judge called. “Are you ready for the opening statements on behalf of the government?”

“Yes, thank you, Your Honour,” the US Attorney nodded. 

She stood, smoothing down the jacket of her sharp pantsuit, and moved to the front of the courtroom. An expectant hush fell on the room. 

“On April 13th 2015, hundreds of people gathered at Castello Malvagio in New Jersey, believing that they were attending the opening gala of an exciting new venture unlike anything ever seen before: a casino whose profits would go to charitable causes, helping those who need help most in our society. An honourable endeavour, no doubt.

“However, their evening did not go as planned. At nine seventeen that evening, Castello Malvagio was blown up, injuring two hundred and thirty eight guests and staff and leaving everyone traumatised and confused. 

“Because you see, Castello Malvagio was nothing more than an expensive smokescreen and the real targets of the attack were the Avengers, ostensibly the guests of honour but in reality pawns in a trap set by one man. 

“Luchino Nefaria.”

Steve couldn’t help glancing at Nefaria; he looked unconcerned, leaning back in his chair in the dock, a small amused smile playing about his lips. As though he was in the audience at a particularly amusing play, rather than his own trial for kidnapping, terrorism, and attempted murder. 

“Luchino Nefaria played the part of a charitable businessman for years, lulling both the public and his employees into a false sense of security,” the Attorney continued. “In reality, he was the leader of a criminal organisation called the Maggia, using his money to fund their criminal activities. He also used his position of power to stalk the Avengers and those closest to them. He created Dream Master Inc. and built Castello Malvagio to attack the Avengers, before kidnapping Steve Rogers for his connection to Tony Stark. He attempted to frame the Avengers for the explosion at Castello Malvagio. And later that night, he attempted to murder Steve Rogers and Tony Stark with another bomb onboard his boat, the _Guiletta_ , and was willing to die himself if it meant killing them.

“Luchino Nefaria is guilty. This trial is to decide upon a punishment for his many crimes. 

“It is only thanks to the bravery not only of the Avengers, but of ordinary people like Steve Rogers, that Luchino Nefaria’s actions did not result in any deaths or further injuries. But there are two hundred and thirty eight people trying to heal from injuries because of him, and many more trying and failing to get help for the trauma of that night. All because of Luchino Nefaria. 

“Hold him accountable for the pain he caused. Thank you.”

“Strong start,” Bucky murmured as the US Attorney took her seat again. 

Tony and Steve nodded in agreement.

“Ms Hogarth?” the judge turned to the defence. 

“Thank you, Your Honour,” the defence attorney replied. “Your Honour, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, counsel, my name is Jerri Hogarth. I am Mr Nefaria’s lawyer. 

“The US Attorney claims that Luchino Nefaria blew up Castello Malvagio on April 13th. I ask you: how does this make him different from the Avengers, his alleged victims? Well, there is one way he’s different: no one died on the night of April 13th at Castello Malvagio. The same cannot be said for the Avengers’ actions on multiple occasions. They have put people in danger, injured them, left them traumatised and yes, even killed civilians in the past. And yet, they are not on trial today or any day. 

“The similarities between my client and the Avengers don’t end there. And with one Avenger in particular: Tony Stark.”

“Of course,” Tony muttered. Steve squeezed his hand in silent support. 

“Like Tony Stark, my client was a gifted child. Like Tony Stark, he excelled in mechanics and science and invention. Unlike Tony Stark, he grew up the son of ordinary people. And unlike Tony Stark, he did not make his fortune selling weapons.”

“Debatable,” Bucky murmured. 

“Perhaps the point is how we view people. People from different backgrounds. Tony Stark and the Avengers are called heroes, despite killing and injuring many more civilians than my client is accused of. Which is why I ask you to go into this trial with an open mind and consider this: if the circumstances were reversed, if Tony Stark grew up with nothing and Luchino Nefaria had everything, would we be sitting at Mr Nefaria’s trial today? Or would Tony Stark be the one of trial? I thank you for your time.”

“Well. Marci wasn’t lying. She plays dirty,” Bucky sighed.

With the opening statements over, it was time for them to leave the gallery and wait their turn to give evidence. The three of them claimed a bench in the hallway and waited.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I almost got charged with contempt of court?” Steve asked.

“No,” Tony replied in bemusement.

“What’d you do?” Bucky smirked.

“Turns out they don’t approve of you cheering from the gallery,” Steve shrugged. “Totally worth it though. Peg was killing it.”

“Only you,” Tony giggled, kissing Steve’s temple. 

“Steven Rogers?”

They turned towards the court official standing by the entrance to the courtroom. Steve’s gut twisted with nerves. He swallowed.

“Good luck,” Tony said. 

“Knock ‘em dead,” Bucky added.

“Thanks,” Steve nodded. 

He got to his feet and followed the official back into the courtroom. 

“The prosecution calls Steve Rogers,” the Attorney announced.

All eyes were on Steve as he walked to the stand. Steve tried not to fidget, but having all the attention on him like that made his skin crawl. It was like walking into school since coming out as Tony’s boyfriend but a hundred times worse because these people wanted to see him fail or fall apart. They didn’t care. 

And Nefaria was right there, smirking at him. 

“Mr Rogers, are you a native of New York?” Walters asked after he was sworn in.

“Brooklyn,” Steve corrected automatically. “Sorry, yes.”

“No problem,” Walters smiled. “I should’ve known better. Where do you work?”

“Franklin D. Roosevelt High School. I teach history and social studies.”

“And you are dating Tony Stark, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve nodded. 

“When did you start dating?”

“Uh, we met online almost exactly a year ago. June 26th. We first met in person on July 12th.” Steve smoothed his hands over his pants, hating the expressions of most of the audience in the gallery, soaking up the little details of his relationship that he and Tony had kept out of the press and the public because it was private. 

“Mr Rogers, can you tell me what happened on August 16th 2014?”

“August 16th, I was, uh, I was at the Caledonian bar with a friend. Margaret Carter. We were having a drink together when a man approached a table and asked me if he could buy me a drink.”

“Not an unusual occurrence though, I’m sure. You’re a young man, handsome. Why did this stand out?”

“There was something about him that made me uncomfortable. An intensity. And when I said no, he turned and walked straight out of the bar.”

“Is that man in the court today?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Can you identify him?”

“It was Luchino Nefaria.”

“For the record, the witness pointed to the defendant,” Walters added. “Mr Rogers, Can we talk about April 13th now? What happened on the night of April 13th 2015?”

Steve took a deep breath, remembering Peggy’s advice to take his time and stay calm, even though he just wanted this to be over so he didn’t have to feel like his relationship was on trial and he could avoid Nefaria’s smug, self-satisfied smirk. 

“I took a cab to Castello Malvagio,” he began. “There was a gala to mark the opening of the casino and I’d been invited with Tony. Tony Stark. As his plus one. I got there and I entered the building. I met Tony and Bucky, uh, James Buchanan Barnes and Matthew Murdock in the ballroom. We spoke briefly and then Tony and I went onto the dance floor. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in a room I’d never seen before with Luchino Nefaria and another man.”

“What happened in that room?”

“Luchino Nefaria told me a sob story about his Nazi grandparents. I wasn’t impressed. But it gave me the chance to pick my handcuffs while he was distracted. Then he left, and I was alone with the other man.”

“Had you ever seen this man before?”

“No,” Steve shook his head. 

“And what happened once you were alone with him?”

“I knocked him out and I escaped.”

“How did that happen?”

“I told him my nose was itchy,” Steve shrugged. “I annoyed him into helping me and when he came close enough, I knocked him out. I took his gun and his glasses and I made my way through the boat until I met Tony in the Iron Man suit.” 

“And what happened then?”

“We realised that there was probably a command centre for the Dreadnoughts onboard, so we searched for it.”

“What are the Dreadnoughts?”

“They’re the robots built by Luchino Nefaria and Marco Scarlotti,” Steve replied. “They were used to attack the Avengers in Los Angeles and then they were seen again in Washington DC and New York. We found the controls, but Luchino Nefaria was there. He told us that the controls could only be used by him, otherwise they would self-destruct. So I shot the panel.”

He thought he saw Walters’ lips twitch in amusement. 

“What happened?”

Steve shrugged. “He was right; it blew up. Tony and I were thrown into the water where the rest of the Avengers rescued us.”

“Thank you, Mr Rogers, Your Honour,” Walters nodded, returning to her seat.

“Your witness, Ms Hogarth.”

“Thank you, Your Honour,” Hogarth replied. “Mr Rogers. The events you’ve described on April 13th, they sound… terrible. Traumatising. Certainly not your average Monday night. It must’ve been very disturbing, yes?”

“Yes,” Steve replied warily. He’d seen enough of Peggy’s trials to know that defence lawyers weren’t interested in being the witnesses’ friends, nor did they care who they trampled on to ensure their client was acquitted. 

“Would you say that as a result of what happened you were traumatised and upset?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“It’s a very unique situation and not one comparable to… anything, really. One cannot really prepare for a kidnapping. When was the last time you were in that kind of situation?”

“April 13th.”

Hogarth smiled. “Perhaps I should’ve been clearer.”

Steve shrugged.

“When was the last time before April 13th that you were that kind of situation?”

“Never,” Steve admitted.

“Right,” Hogarth nodded. She frowned. “And yet, you by your own account, stayed calm and collected. Calm enough to pick the lock on your handcuffs? Which, I have to be honest, is quite impressive. It’s not an everyday skill. Picking handcuffs. How exactly does a high school teacher manage to pick the lock of handcuffs on his first try?”

“It wasn’t my first try,” Steve replied, silently repeating Peggy’s advice not to give them any more than they asked for. 

“What cause could you have to pick handcuffs before that night?” Hogarth wondered.

“I used to date a cop. He taught me how to get out of handcuffs.”

“Really? Seems… unusual.”

Steve’s eyes flickered to the audience, where the vultures were leaning forward, smelling gossip on the horizon and determined not to miss out on anything important. He took a deep breath, focusing on keeping his face blank.

“I like being tied up,” he admitted. “As long as it’s consensual. He taught me how to get out of handcuffs because that’s basic good practise. You should always be able to get free. But on April 13th, I did not consent to being handcuffed, nor did I consent to being kidnapped.”

“You attended the gala at Castello Malvagio on April 13th as Tony Stark’s plus one, yes?” Hogarth asked, leaving Steve’s head spinning with whiplash.

“That’s right,” he frowned.

“But you didn’t arrive together that night. Why not?”

“We had a fight, a few days earlier. I didn’t know if I was going to go but I decided I would.”

“Why did you decide that?”

“Because I realised I cared about Tony more than I cared about winning the fight.” 

“It just seems strange to me,” Hogarth mused, her heels clicking loudly in the anticipation-filled silence as she crossed the courtroom, the audience following her every move. “The blast knocked out five Avengers - all of whom are valuable targets - and yet they were ignored in favour of a high school teacher from Brooklyn.”

“Objection, Your Honour. Relevance?” Walters called.

“Counsellor, your point?” the judge demanded. 

“What advantage did kidnapping you give anyone?” Hogarth asked.

“I mean I’m just guessing, but if you wanted to trick someone into a trap, taking their boyfriend would be a pretty good start,” Steve shrugged. “But I think you’d get a better answer to that question if you directed it towards your client. Since he’s the one who kidnapped me.”

“You first saw Luchino Nefaria on August 16th 2014 and then you didn’t see him again until April 13th, is that correct?”

“That’s the next time I saw him in person, yes.”

“And not in person?”

“I saw him on a promotional video from Dream Master Inc. when the school I work at was announced as one of the winners of their inaugural awards. In… March. March… March 21st,” he worked out. 

“And yet, you recognised him instantly?

“He’s distinctive.”

“And if we looked at your phone or social media, we wouldn’t find any communication between you and the defendant?”

“No,” Steve snapped. “You wouldn’t.”

Hogarth hummed. Steve’s skin crawled as everyone stared at him. Then Hogarth announced, “No more questions, Your Honour,” and sat down with a satisfied little smile on her face. 

“Any recross?” the judge asked Walters.

“No, Your Honour.”

Finally, Steve was released from the stand. It took everything he had not to push past the guard escorting him out of the courtroom. He stepped into the hall and instantly Tony was on his feet and hurrying across the corridor towards him. Steve stepped forward into Tony’s waiting arms and buried his face into his neck.

“You okay?”

“Better now,” Steve admitted, curling himself around Tony.

“It’s okay, honey. I’ve got you,” Tony murmured, running his hand up and down Steve’s spine. Steve felt a strong hand grip his shoulder supportingly and he knew it must be Bucky. He leaned into their touches and tried to forget the feeling of Nefaria’s smug expression sweeping over his body. 

🌻

“This ice cream is really good,” Steve mumbled, his mouth full of said ice cream. Between the pizzas they’d demolished between them, the ice cream, and leaning against Tony with his feet in Bucky’s lap, he’d started to feel human again. 

The forty minute shower when they’d arrived back at the apartment from the courthouse helped too. 

“It really is,” Bucky agreed. 

Tony hummed in agreement. 

“So. Day one down,” Bucky said, licking chocolate ice cream from his spoon. “How are we feeling?”

“Relieved I don’t have to do that again,” Steve replied, grabbing the caramel sauce and drizzling it over his ice cream. “Pass the sprinkles.”

Bucky tossed the plastic container; Steve caught it with one hand. 

“Tony?” Bucky asked.

“Uh, not looking forward to doing what he did today tomorrow,” Tony replied, taking the sprinkles from Steve. “I’m not sure who’s worse: the psychopath in the dock or the lawyer.”

“Close call,” Steve agreed. “Hogarth doesn’t pull her punches.”

“Yeah, well, neither do I,” Bucky retorted. “She can bring it on. I’ve been doing this since before all of you were born.” 

Steve felt Tony go still behind him, the tension in his body that meant he was thinking about something uncomfortable. Steve nudged him gently.

“You okay?” he asked, tipping his head back.

“Yeah,” Tony replied unconvincingly.

Steve raised his eyebrows. 

Tony huffed. “Do you think he’s going to get away with it?” 

“I already told you I didn’t,” Bucky replied. 

“I have to believe that he won’t,” Steve nodded. “But I also have to prepare for the fact that he might.”

“Yeah,” Tony sighed. He put his bowl aside and wrapped his arms around Steve’s shoulders, burying his face in his hair. 

Steve dropped his spoon to cover Tony’s hands with his own, squeezing his wrist in what he hoped was a comforting move. 

“Well kids, looks like it’s almost your bedtime,” Bucky announced. “Some of us still have court tomorrow.”

“I’m still coming with you,” Steve pointed out.

“You don’t have to,” Tony murmured.

“I’m coming.”

“Alright.” Tony smiled, holding up his hands in surrender.

They put their dirty bowls and spoons into the dishwasher and Bucky returned the rest of the ice cream to the freezer. Steve had a feeling they would be needing it over the coming days. 

He took the bathroom first at Tony’s insistence, running through his nighttime routine before padding over to the bed. He flicked through social media while waiting for Tony, scrolling through his Twitter feed before refreshing his Tumblr notifications.

He looked up with a smile when Tony appeared, his suit replaced by a tank top and pyjama pants, the arc reactor shining dimly through his shirt. Steve put his phone aside then lay down, rolling into Tony’s side to pillow his head on his chest. Sometimes he thought this was his favourite place in the world; in the warmth of Tony’s arms with his heartbeat and the faint thrum of the reactor in his ear. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Steve murmured.

“That obvious, huh?”

Steve kissed his collarbone. “Yeah. What is it?”

Tony remained silent. He took a deep breath, his chest rising beneath Steve’s head, before answering, “Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice. Bringing you into my world. I’m scared something’s going to happen to you.”

“You’ll save me,” Steve replied instantly.

“You believe that?”

Steve pushed himself up onto one elbow so he could look Tony in the eye. 

“Yeah,” he replied. “I do. I believe you’ll always save me if I need you.”

Tony’s lips twitched, but his eyes were still worried. He picked up Steve’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “It scares me sometimes, how much I love you,” he admitted. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well,” Steve replied, folding his arms on Tony’s chest and resting his chin on them so they were face to face. “Lucky for you, you never have to find out.”

“Is that so?” Tony smiled.

“Yeah.”

Tony ran a hand through Steve’s hair.

“Lucky me” he murmured. 

🌻

The next day they returned to the courthouse together. Tony was called first, so Steve left Bucky in the hallway and found a seat in the gallery to support Tony. Unfortunately, this had the disadvantage of leaving him open to Nefaria’s disquieting gaze for the second day in a row. Steve gritted his teeth and tried to avoid looking towards the dock, keeping his eyes on Tony. 

Tony was a natural on the stand, but Steve could see that, by the end of his testimony, the mask was starting to slip. Tony didn’t sleep well again the night before, and Steve wished he could stand up and say _“He’s obviously guilty so why do we need to be here?”_ But that would defeat the purpose of the justice system he wanted the country to have. 

When Tony was done, Bucky took one look at them both and told them to go back to the apartment.

“You sure?” Steve asked, slipping an arm around Tony’s waist and kissing the top of his head when Tony all but sagged against him. 

Bucky levelled him with a look. “Get outta here,” he ordered. 

“Okay,” Steve agreed.

“Did you just let something go?” Tony teased as they made their way towards the exit.

“Don’t get used to it,” Steve smiled, before sliding his mask back in place to face the hoard of cameras waiting outside. 

Back at the apartment, they sprawled out on the sofa, eating junk food and watching mindless TV until Bucky joined them in the evening, bearing Thai food and more ice cream. Over dinner, he filled them in on his own turn on the stand, before bidding them goodnight so he could call Matt.

Tony tipped his head back, looking up at Steve. “Do you want to go to court tomorrow?” he asked. “Watch the rest of the trial?”

Steve considered it. On one hand, he wanted to see justice done. But on the other, he couldn’t keep taking forty minute showers to wash away the feeling of Nefaria’s eyes on him. 

“No,” he replied. “I want to see the verdict, but I don’t want to sit there and see Nefaria smirk at me. Besides, if I’m not there I can believe it’s going well and I don’t have to see anything that might prove otherwise. Do you? Want to watch?”

“Not really,” Tony shook his head. “I mean, I should. As an Avenger. But I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t,” Steve shrugged. He sank further into the couch, taking Tony’s hand in his own. “Don’t go. We’ll… go do all the tourist traps. Like the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.”

“There’s an exhibit on Barnes at the Smithsonian,” Tony mused.

“That sounds like great fun,” Steve grinned. “If only so I can tease him about it.”

“Like why it’s at the Air and Space Museum. He wasn’t in the Air Force. The only time he flew a plane in the forties, he crashed it.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay,” Tony agreed. “You’ve got a deal, Rogers.”

“And I didn’t even have to pull out my trump card,” Steve teased.

“Okay, now I’m intrigued. What is this trump card?”

Instead of answering, Steve swung a leg over Tony’s hips, settling himself in his lap and leaning down to kiss him slowly. Tony’s hands gripped his hips, and Steve felt himself relax the longer they made out on the couch. 

“You make… a compelling… compelling argument,” Tony murmured between kisses. 

“I know,” Steve smirked, letting his head fall back so Tony could place open mouthed kisses down his neck. “I was… I was on the debate team, you know.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Tony smiled, scraping his teeth gently over the sensitive skin beneath Steve’s ear. Steve shivered, his fingers digging into Tony’s shoulders. Tony chuckled, low and dirty, teasing Steve’s earlobe between his teeth. Steve’s hips jerked forward and Tony’s hands pressed him forward so he was leaning into Tony’s chest.

“Tony,” he groaned.

Tony hummed, sucking on his neck.

“Seriously?” Bucky called. “Right in front of my leftovers?”

They broke apart reluctantly and found Bucky watching them, his arms folded and amusement on his face.

“You have the worst timing, Barnes,” Tony sighed.

“Uh, no, I think I have pretty good timing,” Bucky retorted, picking up a half-empty container of Kuay Tiew. “Who knows what I woulda seen if I’d waited ten minutes.”

“You should be so lucky,” Steve teased, wrapping his arms tightly around Tony’s neck and leaning their temples together.

Bucky mimed gagging, grabbing a bottle of beer too and disappearing back into his bedroom. 

Steve sat back, playing with the short hairs at the base of Tony’s neck.

“Bed?” he suggested. “You look tired.”

“Yeah. Long day,” Tony nodded. “Rain-check?”

“Deal.”

🌻

And so they settled into a routine: every day Bucky went to watch the trial and reported back in the evening, while Steve took Tony sightseeing. They tried to fly under the radar as much as possible - and Tony was very good at not being noticed when he wanted to be - but their presence in DC for the trial was heavily publicised, so they often found themselves being approached. The majority of the fans were friendly and polite, so Steve found he didn’t mind too much. And several voiced their support for him in the trial, which definitely helped. 

It was the first time he’d really seen Tony interact with his fans, and it was a revelation, especially the day they were at Capitol Hill and a little girl wearing an Iron Man shirt shyly asked Tony if he would sign her map. Steve couldn’t look away even if he wanted to as Tony crouched down and talked to her in a soft voice, asking her name and doodling a tiny suit next to his name before offering to take a picture with her. When she asked a question about the workings of the suit, Tony’s eyes lit up and Steve felt his heart melt, rolling his lips between his teeth to avoid grinning like a lunatic in the middle of the Rotunda. 

The rest of the Avengers dropped in to give their testimony, and most of them came with Steve and Tony for an outing. Bruce went with them to the Science Museum, where they almost caused a riot and ended up spending the entire day, Bruce and Tony giving impromptu classes to the awestruck kids. Thor went with them to a basketball game and almost got them thrown out with his enthusiasm, much to Tony and Steve’s amusement. Natasha went with them to the Captain America exhibit, and spent most of the visit Snapchatting Bucky.

Tony and Steve were walking around the Arboretum when Tony’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Tony wrestled it free with the hand not holding Steve’s. His face fell into a frown as he read the message.

“What is it?” Steve asked, feeling the familiar twist of anxiety settle into his gut.

“Uh, it’s Barnes,” Tony replied. “The jury’s started deliberating.”

“Oh.”

Steve wasn’t sure how he felt. On one hand, it was almost over. But on the other, everything could be on the verge of falling apart. Or they could deliberate for weeks.

“Yeah.” Tony exhaled slowly. “Wanna keep going?”

“Not really,” Steve admitted. “Do you?”

“Nah. Feels weird. Come on, let’s go.”

Steve nodded, wrapping his arm around Tony’s shoulders, and they made their way back to the car.

And so began a nervous few days. The deliberation stretched on, seeming impossibly long. 

“How long do they need?” Steve muttered, viciously buttering his toast and biting into it with more force than was strictly necessary. “He’s obviously guilty,” he added, spraying crumbs over the counter.

“You’re disgusting,” Bucky replied, inspecting his coffee for crumbs before pouring it down the sink.

Steve scowled. 

He and Tony made liberal use of the building’s gym, trying anything to get rid of their nervous energy. Matt flew down for the Fourth of July and he and Bucky dragged them out for dinner to celebrate Steve’s birthday, which provided a welcome distraction for a few hours. But then Monday rolled around and there was still no verdict. 

Finally, after six days, the jury returned with a decision. Steve, Tony and Bucky filed into the courtroom. Steve felt jittery and cold, despite the fact the courtroom was almost stifling thanks to the summer heat. 

“Odds on the justice system letting us down today?” Tony murmured.

“Higher than I’m comfortable with,” Bucky replied. 

The foreman of the jury stood and a hush of anticipation filled the room. Steve’s eyes flickered towards Nefaria, and for the first time, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. And if Nefaria was worried, that had to be a good sign, right?

“Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?” the judge asked.

“We have,” the foreman nodded.

Tony’s grip on Steve’s fingers tightened. They watched the foreman hand over the verdict form to the clerk.

 _Come on, come on, come on_ , Steve thought.

It felt like it took hours for the clerk to read the form.

“The jury finds the defendant guilty of all charges,” she announced.

“Yes!” Bucky exclaimed, jumping to his feet, as a ripple went through the audience.

“Order,” the judge snapped.

“Sorry,” Bucky grinned, holding up his hands. He sat down, squeezing Tony’s shoulder and reaching over Tony to high five Steve, clinging on to his hand.

It took a second for the clerk’s words to sink in for Steve. Then his face split into a grin, turning to kiss Tony breathless.

“Thank fuck,” Tony breathed, cradling Steve’s cheek and pressing their foreheads together while Bucky rubbed his shoulders. 

They listened to the judge’s speech, relieved to hear him say that he wanted deportation to be an option, and that he would be discussing it with the Italian authorities. Then they stood again for the judge’s exit before making their way out of the courtroom.

“So.” Bucky clapped his hands together. “Back to the apartment then we celebrate?”

Steve turned to Tony for confirmation. Tony hummed.

“Celebrate later?” he suggested. He wrapped his arm around Steve’s waist. “I kinda want to go home. Home home, not the apartment.”

“Fair enough,” Bucky nodded. “And hey, that means I get to see my boyfriend so, uh, no complaints from me.”

“Sounds good,” Steve agreed. 

“Alright, I better go play nice with the paparazzi and make a statement,” Bucky sighed. “Unless you want to…?”

“All yours,” Tony replied.

“Thought you’d say that.”

Once they were alone - as much as possible in a busy corridor - Tony turned to Steve, smiling up at him.

“How do you feel?”

“Good,” Steve replied. “Relieved.”

“Yeah,” Tony nodded. “I know we still have some Maggia traces out there, but if he’s looking at deportation maybe Nefaria’ll start talking a bit more.”

“I wouldn’t put money on it.”

“Me neither. Ready to go home?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. He leaned in to kiss Tony slowly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I caught up on the latest chapter of a WIP I'm reading recently and the amazing fireinmywoods managed to put into words something I've been feeling and allowed me to paraphrase: Thank you to all the readers who are reading this as a "WIP". It's not really a WIP because it's finished and edited, so perhaps a better phrase would be this posting stage. Any reactions and musings you give me encourage me to keep working on the next project (because there is always a next project). Thank you for putting your faith in me and trusting me enough to keep coming back every week to see where this (or any) story goes. You're all amazing ❤️
> 
> And to my future readers, who are reading this once it's complete: thank you so much for reminding me that my fics don't disappear into oblivion once I finish posting. You are also amazing and I love you too ❤️
> 
> And thanks to fireinmywoods for putting into words what I didn't know I wanted to say and for being an incredible storyteller ❤️
> 
> And now, onto the story.

Tony killed the engine after pulling into the parking space in the tower’s garage then turned to Steve in the passenger seat. “Home sweet home.”

Steve nodded. “You okay?” he asked. 

“Tired,” Tony admitted. He hadn’t slept properly since before the trial started, his dreams haunted by flashbacks from Afghanistan and the explosion at Castello Malvagio, always with Steve caught in the middle. 

“It’s over,” Steve reminded him softly.

Tony picked up his hand and kissed his knuckles. 

Leaving the car behind, they made their way upstairs. When the elevator doors opened onto the penthouse, Ari was waiting, looking as wide eyed and nervous as he was the day Tony left for DC.

“Welcome, uh, welcome back Mr Stark,” he greeted, pushing his glasses further up his nose. 

“Still working on the Mr Stark thing, huh?” Tony smiled. “What did I miss?” 

“Uh, MIT were asking about a commencement speech-”

“That’s almost a year away,” Tony pointed out. “I’m not-”

“No, I told them that. You’re an Avenger now, we can’t schedule things that far in advance,” Ari interrupted. “Um, Miss Potts wanted me to ask you to go through your art collection - apparently there’s some kind of charity fundraiser, famous people donating famous pieces of art, lots of big names, lots of big numbers - she wants to donate something but she wanted to check with you first. The deadline is a week Friday, when should I schedule that?”

“Don’t schedule it, tell Pepper to take what she wants. Tell her to donate the whole collection if she wants. Anything else urgent?”

“Yes, um, do you want to go ahead with the Expo next year because the deadline for applications for permits and everything is tomorrow?”

“Can we get everything ready by tomorrow?” Tony frowned.

“Oh, it’s all ready, it just needs to be sent.”

“Since when?”

“Since last Tuesday.”

“Then send it. Did you put the Meet the Heroes thing Pepper wants us to do in the calendar?”

“Yes, I cleared the schedules of all the Avengers, booked the room, arranged catering, got the permits and sent the invitations to the printers last night.”

“Great.” Tony blinked. “Any messages I should check up on?”

“Um, you have one email from the DoD that I marked as urgent, but everything else can wait,” Ari explained. “And I deleted the dross, so… Yeah. That’s it.”

“Fantastic. Good man. You can… take the afternoon off,” Tony decided. “I’m going to.”

“Thank you, um, Mr Stark.”

“Bye Ari,” Steve called.

“Bye.”

“He is scarily efficient,” Tony realised as the doors closed behind Ari. “He might even give Pepper a run for her money."

After the stress of the trial, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with his boyfriend and forget about the world for a few hours so he tugged Steve towards the den and all but fell onto the couch. Judging by the way Steve instantly curled into his side, he felt the same way. 

“You want to watch something?” Tony asked, picking up Steve’s left hand and twisting their fingers together. He stared at their entwined fingers, enchanted by the contrast of Steve’s fair skin against his own. That wasn’t where the differences ended either. Tony’s hands were calloused and rough, patches of dry skin from the amount of time spent scrubbing motor oil and other more questionable substances from them. There were scratches and nicks from working in the shop and the shiny patch of skin where he burned himself in college on an oven shelf.

(Rhodey loved to regale people with the time Tony tried to pick up a tray from the oven without gloves.)

Meanwhile Steve’s hands were smooth, save for the nearly invisible calluses on his fingertips from his guitar (and Tony still wasn’t over the fact that Steve not only played guitar, but apparently wrote songs about him. That wasn’t getting old any time soon). There was a raised bump on the back of his hand where he broke a bone as a teenager in a fight and failed to go to the ER until it was too late to fix. 

“Nah, I’m good,” Steve replied, jolting Tony out of his thoughts. 

He curled his fingers around Tony’s thumb and Tony smiled, running his forefinger over Steve’s knuckles. “Love you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to Steve’s temple.

“Love you too,” Steve murmured.

They lapsed into silence. Tony breathed in the familiar scent of Steve’s shampoo, burying his face in his soft blond hair and watched their fingers dance around each other with a soft smile. 

“Hey Steve?” he said eventually.

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to run something by you.”

“I’m all ears,” Steve murmured, pressing a kiss to the hollow of his throat. 

“What if - and feel free to say no, I’m just throwing this out there - what if you moved in?” Tony suggested, putting into words the idea that had been bouncing around his head since he realised how at home Steve looked in his kitchen and had only grown after more than almost a month of going to bed and waking each morning with Steve by his side. 

Steve tensed for a moment, before tipping his head back and staring up at Tony with those big blue eyes, surprise written across his face. “Here?”

“No, into Matty’s place,” Tony teased, giggling when Steve jabbed him with his elbow. “Sorry, honey, couldn’t resist.”

“Asshole,” Steve huffed, but he sounded more amused than annoyed. “You want me to move in with you?”

“Yeah. If you want,” Tony smiled. “Or, if living in Brooklyn is a dealbreaker for you, I’m open to discussion about it.”

“You’d move to Brooklyn for me?”

“You know I would. Think about it, you don’t have to decide right now.”

“No,” Steve shook his head. “I mean, yes. I want to move in with you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Definitely,” he grinned.

“So, should I start looking at property in Brooklyn, or…?”

“No. I wanna move in here. With you.”

Tony grinned, leaning down to brush their lips together. The angle was awkward and put a strain on his back, but Tony decided it was worth it to kiss his boyfriend. His boyfriend who said that he wanted to move in. 

“So we’re doing this?” Tony checked. 

“We’re doing this,” Steve nodded, his eyes sparkling with the same excitement Tony felt. 

Tony couldn’t resist kissing him again, just because he could. 

“Sir, Agent Romanoff is enquiring whether you and Mr Rogers will be joining the rest of the team for dinner,” JARVIS announced.

“What do you think?” Tony asked, leaning his arm against the back of the couch and combing his fingers through Steve’s hair. 

Steve nodded slowly but he made no attempt to move until Tony heaved himself off of the couch with a groan and held out his hand. Steve took it, tanging their fingers together and levered himself upright. They left the den and headed down to the communal kitchen. 

As soon as the elevator doors opened, the scent of food hit Tony’s nostrils and made his stomach grumble. The chatter of voices bounced off of the wall and Tony tugged Steve out of the elevator and down the hall. 

“Evening Avengers,” he called, taking his usual seat at the head of the table. 

The team greeted them - Bucky, Matt and Natasha from the kitchen, Bruce and Thor breaking their conversation at the table, and Clint perched on his own chair - warmly. Tony found himself studying Clint carefully. He was the only member of the team who’d declined to go sightseeing with Tony and Steve in DC, choosing instead to skulk away as soon as he’d given evidence. 

But today Clint’s expression looked, well, not normal - and not just because Clint Barton never looked normal - but less shuttered. 

“Hey, uh, quick question,” Tony called. “Why is Barton feeding that dog pizza?”

Clint shrugged. “Because he likes it.”

“Uh huh. Okay, follow up question: where did the dog come from? And is he missing an eye?” Tony frowned, picking up a tortilla from the plate Natasha placed in the centre of the table and spooning chicken onto it.

“Yes. He bravely sacrificed his eye protecting me from the Tracksuit Mafia.”

“Tracksuit Mafia,” Steve echoed, his fajita frozen on the way to his lips.

“Yeah. They’re these assholes over in Bed-Stuy who’ve been terrorising the neighbourhood,” Clint explained. “They were, uh, not impressed with me poking around so they told me to get lost.”

“Politely?”

“Decidedly not. Especially when they pulled out the gun,” Clint shrugged. “Lucky jumped in front of the bullet and lost an eye in the process. So I-”

“Wait, you got shot at?” Tony demanded. 

“See what happens when you go out of town,” Matt said. 

“That’s not on me.”

“As I was saying,” Clint barrelled on. “I took him to a vet and then I took him home and I was hoping I could keep him?” He glanced pleadingly between Steve and Tony. “Please, dads?”

“Okay, that’s creepy,” Tony grimaced. 

“Yeah,” Steve agreed.

“And why are we the dads anyway? Cap’s been in a committed relationship longer than I have.”

“Because I’m not responsible enough to be a father,” Bucky replied with a mouthful of fajita. 

“That’s disgusting,” Steve grimaced. 

Bucky grinned unrepentantly. “Sorry, dad.”

“You could literally be my grandfather.”

“You wish,” Bucky winked.

“Hey!” Clint called, clapping his hands. “Can we get back to the point here? Namely can I keep the dog? Please?”

“As long as he doesn’t eat any of my Balenciagas and Liho doesn’t object, fine,” Tony replied. He turned to Steve. “You’re not allergic to dogs, right? Gonna put a dampener on you moving in if you are.”

“Nope.”

“Barton, he’s all yours.”

“Thanks,” Clint muttered, scratching Lucky’s ears. 

“Wait, you’re moving in?” Bruce asked, pointing at Steve.

Steve and Tony shared a smile and Tony felt a thrill of excitement run down his spine. 

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “He is.”

“And since you’ve all decided we’re the parents, I guess that means we don’t have to ask for permission?” Steve grinned. 

“That and the fact I own the building and can toss these freeloaders out whenever I want,” Tony added.

“You really are the parents then,” Matt joked.

It was a relief to know that the Avengers were all onboard with Steve moving in. Not that Tony wanted or needed their permission, but it felt good to have the support of his friends behind him. 

As the conversation split, Tony watched Clint, chewing on his fajita thoughtfully. There was a tightness around his eyes when he thought no one was watching. But Tony was always watching. 

There was something going on with Clint. Of that Tony was certain. He just had to figure it out.

“Wait, if we’re eating fajitas, where did the pizza come from?” Steve frowned.

“Lucky doesn’t like fajitas,” Clint replied, as though it was obvious.

Steve turned to Tony. “Of course. Ask a stupid question.”

Tony nodded. “Hey Thor, pass the guacamole. Thanks. Want Some?” he offered Steve.

“Sure. Hey Matt, what happened to your face?” Steve frowned. Tony glanced across the table and sure enough, there was a bruise on Matt’s temple that wasn’t there when he visited them in DC.

“I got thrown in a dumpster again,” Matt grinned ruefully.

“What?” Steve exclaimed.

“You have got to get better hobbies,” Tony shook his head. 

“Says the man who flies around in a metal suit.”

“Yeah, I’m in a _metal suit_ ,” Tony pointed out. “You’re in, what? A pair of pyjamas?” he teased.

“Yeah, you gotta get some armour, babe,” Bucky agreed, shoving a handful of tortillas into his mouth. 

“I’m working on it,” Matt shrugged. 

“Or you can come upstairs to my lab and I can fit you out,” Tony said. “I’ll give you the friends and family discount.”

“Okay,” Steve called. “Why does Matt need armour, and why do you keep getting thrown in dumpsters?”

Tony frowned at him, aware that the rest of the table was also watching Steve with various levels of confusion. Even Lucky’d stopped snuffling at the final piece of pizza. 

“What?” Steve asked.

“Does he not know?” Natasha asked, her mouth curving up into a delighted smile.

Did Steve not know? Tony wracked his brains, flicking back through his memories. He was certain they’d talked about Matt being Daredevil before when Steve was there. They must’ve. They’d been dating for a year, Steve had to know by now.

“Know what?” Steve asked.

“I thought we agreed we were going to tell him?” Matt said.

“I thought he knew,” Tony replied, holding up his hands. “Didn’t you tell him?”

He definitely remembered a conversation with Matt and Bucky over wings at Josie’s about telling Steve about Matt’s alter ego.

“Me?” Bucky exclaimed. “I didn’t tell him, I thought you were going to tell him!”

“No, you said you were going to tell him.”

“I did not.”

“Can somebody just tell me?” Steve shouted, interrupting their bickering. “Whatever it is.”

“You’ve heard of Daredevil, right?” Natasha said.

“The vigilante? Yeah,” Steve frowned. 

Clint pointed to Matt. “Meet Daredevil.”

Steve snorted. “Very funny.”

When he glanced at Tony, Tony shook his head. “Not kidding, honey.”

Steve frowned, glancing between them all. 

“I thought you were blind,” he said.

“Oh, he is,” Bucky replied, picking up another fajita. 

“How is that possible?”

“You’re having dinner with a demigod and a super-soldier from the forties, Steve,” Tony reminded him. “Do you really want to get into what’s possible and what’s not?”

“You’re Daredevil?” Steve said to Matt. “As in the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

“That’s me,” Matt nodded. 

“Huh.”

“You okay there, honey?” Tony asked, picking a stray piece of lettuce from his place.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Steve replied unconvincingly. 

“Can’t believe you two idiots managed to mess this up,” Matt sighed, pointing between Bucky and Tony. 

“His fault,” they chorused.

🌻

When Tony returned to the bedroom after getting ready for bed, Steve was slouching against the headboard, a book in hand. 

“You really didn’t know Matt was Daredevil?” Tony asked, sliding under the covers.

“No. I didn’t,” Steve replied petulantly.

Tony wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “Sorry, honey,” he murmured. “I really thought you knew.” 

“So I’m the only normal one in the building?” 

“‘fraid so, honey.”

Steve put his book down in his lap, twisting to look up at Tony, a confused frown on his face. “Why isn’t he an Avenger then?”

“Being a vigilante and a lawyer is kind of a conflict of interest,” Tony explained.

“Oh yeah, I guess so.”

“Yeah. So to keep his identity secret, Matt keeps his place and officially Bucky lives here. That keeps the worst of the paparazzi from stalking his apartment. They’re just waiting outside, not on his roof where they could regularly bump into Daredevil.”

Steve hummed and nodded in agreement. Tony kissed the top of his head again. Steve tipped his head back, smiling up at him. Tony smiled back, leaning down to kiss him. What he meant to be a quick peck on the lips slowly turned into a longer kiss. Tony was vaguely aware of Steve fumbling with his book, attempting to push it onto the bedside table before giving up and letting it fall to the floor with a muffled thump.

Tony smiled against his lips, cupping Steve’s neck with both hands and using his thumbs to tilt his chin higher. He felt Steve’s hands grip his hips, coaxing him into straddling Steve’s hips as Steve lay down properly so Tony was looming over him. He knew how much Steve loved this position. 

But Tony’s mind was never still, even with Steve half naked underneath him, and he pulled back to ask, “Do you think Clint was acting weird at dinner?”

“So tonight’s not going how I thought it would, then?” Steve grinned.

“Shit, sorry,” Tony exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut.

Steve chuckled, his muscles shifting beneath Tony’s hands, and when he opened his eyes again, Steve was looking up at him with an unmeasurably fond expression. Combined with his tousled hair and kiss-red lips, it was a good look.

“Sorry,” Tony repeated. “Forget I said anything.”

“No, this is clearly bugging you,” Steve replied, running his knuckles down Tony’s cheek softly. 

Tony folded his arms on Steve’s chest and hooked his chin over them. 

“There’s something wrong and I don’t know what it is,” he frowned. “I’m worried about him.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

“No, but I have a feeling that’s not going to work. He’s being very defensive.”

“I don’t know him as well as you do,” Steve admitted, “But he didn’t seem like Clint. He’s not the guy who took you to Chuck-E-Cheese on your birthday.”

“Which is concerning, considering that was only two months ago,” Tony sighed. 

“Did you ask Natasha?”

“You ever think people get too close to things and can’t see problems because they don’t want to see them?”

“All the time.”

“I think she’s too close. And as much she might want to deny it, she’s not a spy anymore. She has actual human emotions. Just don’t tell anyone.”

“My lips are sealed,” Steve smiled. 

Tony gazed at him, feeling a familiar but no less thrilling rush of love for Steve. 

“That’s two rain-checks I owe you now.”

Steve smiled. “I know you’re good for them.”

“I don’t know,” Tony frowned in mock-seriousness. “I’m getting old. I might not have that many left in me.”

“Oh, I think we can make it work,” Steve assured him with a grin, drawing Tony in for a kiss. 

“See, that’s what I love about you: your optimism.”

Steve arched an eyebrow. “Just my optimism?”

“Well.” Tony smirked. “Not _just_ your optimism.”

“Oh good,” Steve grinned and Tony leaned down to kiss him again.

Because he could. 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr [here](https://weethreequarter.tumblr.com).


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